safford: narcotic snuff, cohoba 551 



specify that they breathed it through their nostrils by means of 

 a forked tube. Nothing is said of the apparatus by which the 

 snuff is taken, and indeed Ramon Pane himself neglects to give 

 a description of it. Fernando Colombo, however, in the work 

 already cited, states that for holding the snuff the natives had 

 a finely wrought table of a round form, resembling a trencher 

 {come un tagliere) , and that they took it by means of a bifurcated 

 tube: "con una canna di due rami, che si mettono al naso." 



The description of Las Casas, who was an eye-witness to the 

 ceremony of the cohoba, is even more precise. The snuff-tray 

 he describes as "a plate, not flat but slightly concavish or deep, 

 made of wood, so handsome, smooth, and pretty, that it could 

 not be very much more so, were it made of gold or silver; it was 

 almost black and polished like jet" (cuasi negro y lucio como de 

 azabache). The tube, he says, 



was fashioned the size of a flute and was quite hollow like a flute. 

 From two-thirds of its length onward it divided by means of two hollow 

 canes, just as we open the two middle fingers, leaving out the thumb, 

 with the hand extended. The ends of these two canes inserted into the 

 windows of the nostrils, and the base of the flute, let us say, into the 

 powder on the plate, they would draw in their breath and snuffing up, 

 would receive through the nostrils as much of the powder as they 

 wished to take, which, when taken, would go at once to the brain, 

 almost as though they had drunk strong wine; for they would become 



drunk or almost drunk It was their custom, in coming 



together to decide difficult matters, such as the manoevures of one of 

 their war parties, or the performance of other things which they deemed 

 important, to make their cohoba and with it intoxicate themselves or 

 nearly so to do. ... . . I saw these people on several occasions 



celebrate their cohoba, and it was an interesting spectacle to witness 

 how they took it and what they spake. The Chief began the ceremony, 

 and while he was engaged all remained silent. When he had taken his 

 cohoba (that is, when he had snuffed up the powder through his nostrils, 

 as I have described), they being seated on certain handsomely carved 

 low benches which they called duohos (the first syllable long), he remained 

 silent for a while with his head inclined to one side and his arms placed 

 on his knees. Then he raised his face heavenward uttering certain 

 words which must have been his prayer to the true God, or to him whom 

 he held as God; after which all responded, almost as we do when we 

 say Amen; and this they did with a loud voice or sound. Then they 

 gave thanks and said to him certain complimentary things, entreating 

 his benevolence and begging him to reveal to them what he had seen. 

 He described to them his vision, saying that the Cemi had spoken to 



